Brewers pitcher tagged by Nats for six homers in historically bad start

To say things have not gone well lately for the Milwaukee Brewers would be an understatement. After leading the National League Central by five-and-a-half games at the All-Star break, the team has gone just 4-8, allowing the Chicago Cubs to overtake them for the division lead.

If you thought things couldn’t get any worse … well, you were wrong.

Thursday’s game against the Washington Nationals saw the Brewers not just struggle, but turn in some historically awful numbers.

The Nationals began their assault against Brewers pitcher Michael Blazek, who was only starting because Matt Garza was sidelined with a leg injury.

Blazek’s spot start was a disaster almost immediately. In the first inning, Bryce Harper belted a two-run homer to put the Nationals on the board. He must have felt well-rested after Wednesday’s ejection.

In the third inning, Blazek’s start reached historical levels. After a leadoff walk to pitcher Max Scherzer, Blazek gave up a two-run homer to Brian Goodwin. Wilmer Difo then stepped to the plate and added to the fun, hitting a home run. That brought up Harper again, who added his second home run of the game.

After giving up back-to-back-to-back home runs, Blazek was visited on the mound by pitching coach Derek Johnson. That didn’t seem to calm him down. The next hitter, Ryan Zimmerman, also homered. The Nationals had now gone back-to-back-to-back-to-back. They hit four home runs in a row. That tied a Major League Baseball record.

It was not a great day for Brewers starter Michael Blazek. (AP Photo)

Daniel Murphy then came up to the plate next … and flew out to center, ending the Nationals ridiculous streak.

But the inning wasn’t over just yet. Anthony Rendon smacked a solo shot off Blazek to give Washington five home runs in one inning. That was the final straw for Blazek. He was taken out of the game after Rendon’s blast.

Blazek did manage to set a record before he was removed, though. He’s the first pitcher to ever give up five home runs in a single inning. There’s not really a way to spin that into a positive, but if you’re really trying …

The Nationals didn’t let up after Blazek left the game. In the fourth inning, Zimmerman and Jose Lobaton homered to give the club eight long balls in just four innings. That set a Nationals’ team record.